Autumo
by Sinfully Sadistic
Summary: When you get that feeling; that heart clenching, stomach twisting, chill inducing feeling, you know something bad's about to happen, and there's only one thing you can do...believe...believe and hope to God that you're not too late...


Another One Piece fic from me! Um, I have nothing to say.

Disclaimer: Do I own One Piece? Can't say I do. Sorry.

**WARNINGS!!: Blood and gore, I guess, though not much. Hey, for once, no spoilers! **

Enjoy.

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**Autumo**

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_It felt odd, dying._

_Nothing like he'd ever imagined- not that he'd really ever really _tried_ to imagine what it'd feel like to die, but if he had, he knew he wouldn't have imagined that it felt like this._

_Everything felt…dull. The sharp, agonizing, scream-inducing, teeth-clenching, muscle-spasm-ing pain he should be feeling wasn't there and in its place was a soft, throbbing, blunt- almost, pain that was already fading to an even number feeling._

**xXx**

"What's this island called, Nami?"

The Navigator didn't glance up from the map she was studying, her finger tapping her chin thoughtfully, when her Captain questioned her.

"I'm not sure, Luffy." She replied vaguely, still trying to make out the blotched, faded ink on the old and worn map.

"Why?" Luffy pressed, staring down at the map over the orange-headed girl's shoulder, trying unsuccessfully to find the name of the island they were anchored a few miles out from.

"See here?" Nami said, pointing a finger at a large spot of black ink, "That's the name of the island."

"Spot?" Luffy asked curiously, his tone and expression implying that he wasn't kidding.

Nami sighed, shaking her head, before answering her dull-witted Captain, "No, Luffy. The black spot is what _used_ to be a bunch of letters spelling out the island's name, but something, water, most likely, dripped onto it and screwed it up."

"Oh. Well," Luffy started, a wide grin splitting his face in half, "since it doesn't have a name, I'll give it one. Spot!"

Nami almost smacked her Captain for his stupidity, but something held her hand.

Her stomach clenched and her heart constricted painfully and a wave of overwhelming fear assaulted her.

She felt her pulse quicken and her breathing pick up until each breath was a short gasp; she felt a cold sweat break out on her skin, chilling her to the bone, and when she rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm them up, her skin felt cold and clammy.

"Nami?" Luffy's voice broke through the haze of fear, and, as quickly as it had come, the feeling was gone, leaving a shivering Nami in its wake. "Are you okay?"

The red-head opened her eyes –_ when had they closed? _– and stared into her Captain's charcoal-black ones. When the feeling didn't return, Nami forced a tiny smile on her face, "I'm fine, Captain, just felt a little dizzy. Maybe I'm just tired?"

The excuse was a lame one, and if Luffy's raised eyebrow was anything to go by, he thought the same thing. Thankfully, though, the rubber pirate didn't comment, only giving Nami one last assessing look before he skipped away.

When the raven-haired boy had left, Nami sank to her knees and gazed down at her shaking hands.

"What was that?" She whispered, barely noticing the tears trailing down her face. "What was_ that_?"

Tearing her eyes away from her shaking hands, Nami stared at the corner Luffy had just turned and jumped when the irrational fear started up again, though this time not nearly as intense.

With a terrified look in her eyes, Nami brought one of her hands up to her chest, settling it over her heart, and gripped the fabric of her shirt in a white-knuckled grip.

Something was going to happen, and Nami had a feeling that it wasn't good, and it involved her Captain.

**xXx**

_The fighting that had been going on mere moments before had been loud; the _scrape _of steel against steel, the _thud_ of flesh hitting flesh, the _crack_ of metal slamming against skull, the _crack**bam** _of explosions, and the pain-filled grunts, shouts and heavy breathing of tiring, exhausting, hurting people filled the area._

_Now, though, there was nothing. The only sound he could hear was the sound of his heart, the over-worked organ pumping blood frantically through his body in an attempt to keep him alive, not knowing that with each pump another pint of blood poured out from his failing body._

**xXx**

When the door to the kitchen opened, Sanji's "Nami Senses" tingled, and he twirled around to face her with hearts in his eyes, preparing to sing his praises at the top of his lungs-

Only to stop when he saw the look on Nami's face.

Her head that she normally held high with confidence was tilted forward so she was staring down at the ground. Her shoulders were hunched in a very un-Nami fashion, making her look incredibly submissive; a position the orange-head would never allow herself to be in, not after her childhood. Her skin was pallid and glistened slightly with what Sanji assumed was sweat, and slight tremors wracked her small frame.

"Sanji," She started, her voice so quiet Sanji had to strain to hear it, "I'm scared."

Confused and concerned, Sanji stepped slowly towards the shaking Navigator and kneeled down before her so he could look up at her face, his eyes widening when he saw the tracks trailing down over her cheeks from recently shed tears, and that her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, the brown irises normally bright with happiness (read: greed) darkened with an unreadable emotion.

"Nami, what are you scared of? What's wrong?" He asked the woman he loved, his voice as soft as hers.

The Navigator's slight tremors increased in strength and soon the woman was shaking so hard her teeth were chattering.

Sanji, starting to become frantic with worry, stood up and pulled the small body into his arms, wrapping them around her in a protective, hopefully calming, way, the desire to take advantage of the situation being shoved brutally and violently away.

"Nami? Nami, please talk to me. Tell me what's wrong, Nami. Tell me so I can help you. Nami? Nami, come on." Sanji urged, holding the quaking woman tightly. Whenever he got upset as a child, Sanji had always liked it when his name was said to him repeatedly. It had always helped him calm down. He hoped it would do the same for Nami.

"Sa-Sa-Sanji…" Nami sobbed, the tears that had blemished her face returning full force, soaking the front of the chef's suit.

"Shh, Nami, I've got you. You'll be okay. I'll protect you, Nami." Sanji soothed, shifting so he could rub small, consoling circles on the orange head's back.

"S-Sanji, I'm scar-_hic_-ed. Something really, really -_hic_- bad is going to ha-happen." She stuttered, her arms moving to circle around Sanji's middle to grip the fabric of the back of his jacket in white-knuckled fists.

Sanji _shushed_ the sobbing and hiccupping girl, rocking back in forth. "What do you mean, Nami?"

"I d-don't know, but I ha-_hic_-ve this really b-b-bad feeling. I just kn-know that som-_hic_-one's gonna die, Sa-anji. Sanj-ji, I'm so _scared_." The Navigator whispered, her already too-tight fists tightening even more.

"It's okay, Nami. Nothing bad's gonna happen, okay, Nami? I'll protect you. Even Moss Head will protect you. You have nothing to worry about, Nami. Don't worry, there's nothing to be afraid of, not so long as I'm here." Sanji murmured.

After several more, long, painful minutes, Nami's crying had died down leaving the front of Sanji's jacket completely soaked.

"Sanji…" She sighed before her body went limp in the Chef's arms. With very little effort, Sanji lifted the small woman into his arms, her head rolling to rest on his chest and her orange hair tickling Sanji's neck, and carried the exhausted Navigator back to her room, tucking her in before walking back to the kitchen to work on dinner.

As Sanji expertly chopped vegetables he thought about what Nami had said. She'd said that something bad was going to happen. Sanji had assumed that she was talking about herself, and Nami never corrected him when he told her he'd protect _her_, but he had his doubts.

The Navigator wouldn't break down like that if it had concerned her own wellbeing, she was tougher than that. The only time any member of the Straw Hat crew would panic like that would be when someone they cared for was in danger…

So who, exactly, was Nami scared for? Who did Nami think was in danger?

_Who did she think was going to __**die**__?_

As Sanji dumped the chopped vegetables into a pan, a shudder shot up and down his spine, rippling through his body, as his heart gave a painful _squeeze_. The pan dropped out of his loose grip, clanging as it hit the ground, the impact throwing cut-up and partially-fried vegetables in every direction.

Gasping, with one hand gripping the material over his heart and the other holding tightly onto the counter to keep him upright, Sanji stared down at the ruined food unblinkingly, his eyes glazed with the same emotion that had clouded Nami's own.

He now knew what that emotion was.

_Fear_.

And Sanji had a bad feeling that that fear was for a certain straw hat-wearing, rubber Captain.

**xXx**

_Before, he had been able to see the sky. From his position – spread eagle and facing up with a puddle of ruby liquid growing steadily larger – he could appreciate the soft, hazy blue of the sky disturbed only by the occasional white puff. The sun cast its all-encompassing warmth and glow from somewhere above his head. A soft breeze ruffled his hair and glided over his skin, drying the sweat and cooling the heated flesh._

_The sky had disappeared, and, in its place, he saw nothing but a bright, hazy whiteness that seemed ethereal in its soft glow that was blinding but not._

**xXx**

Usopp, though not the most observant member of the Straw Hat crew, wasn't completely oblivious. He was far from it, actually.

After all, a liar could see through a lie just as easily as he could make one up. And Usopp was nothing if not a damn good liar (and 'fix-it' man, but that wasn't what he was _best_ at).

So, when he stepped into the kitchen that night for dinner, his mind already filled with riveting tales of his heroics, he noticed that something felt…off.

The kitchen/dining area itself was bright and warm, filled with the tantalizing scents of tender meat, crispy vegetables and creamy mashed potatoes.

However cozy the kitchen/dining area looked, it _felt _completely different. So different, in fact, that the hairs on the back of the Marksman's neck stood up straight.

So far, only he, Nami and Sanji were occupying the room. Nami was sitting at the bench while Sanji stood at the counter, putting the finishing touches on that night's dinner. While everything seemed fine at first glance, after looking closer, Usopp knew something was wrong.

The first clue?

Sanji wasn't singing his praises to his, '_perfect, wonderful, beautiful Nami.'_

The second clue?

Nami wasn't doing anything but staring down at the table, a pinched expression on her face.

The third and fourth clues?

Sanji's back was ram-rod straight, the muscles so tense it looked painful. Nami's entire body was just as tense, and worry seemed to saturate the air around her.

The fifth clue, the one that really struck Usopp as odd?

Sanji's pack of cigarettes was lying on the far end of the counter, unopened and seemingly untouched.

Something was seriously, very wrong.

"Um, hello?" Usopp greeted uncertainly. The other two occupants of the room were startled by his voice, causing Sanji's rhythmic chopping to skip a beat and Nami's entire body to jump in fright, her knees slamming against the underside of the table painfully.

If Sanji heard the noise, he paid it no mind and simply started chopping again, the measured _thump thump_ the only sound besides the three pirates' soft breathing.

Well, if Usopp had been skeptical about his feeling earlier, he sure wasn't now. If Sanji wasn't freaking out about Nami's 'injury' then something was most definitely worrying the Chef.

Usopp's eyebrows furrowed; what was going on?

"Um, guys? What's wrong?" He asked, deciding to stay where he was standing.

Silence.

Well, the curly-haired liar was kind of expecting that; people tended to just ignore him most of the time, anyway. What made him think it'd be any different when they were as tense as the two pirates in front of him?

So, what to do, what to do…

Ah ha! Grinning to himself, Usopp adjusted the goggles on his head thoughtfully.

He was gonna do what he did best – other than lie; tell a story.

Usopp cleared his throat and began:

"So, while I, Captain Usopp, along with my trusty crew, was sailing through East Blue, I came upon an unmapped island. Never one to miss out on an adventure, I boldly told my crew that we'd be spending the night at this unmarked island. BUT! Before we could reach the plot of land…A GIANT MAN-EATING MONSTER SHOT UP OUT OF THE WATER! It landed on the deck and instantly knocked all my subordinates out, leaving me the last man standing. Pushing my concern for my crew to the side, I charged at the monster. It opened its massive jaw and roared, revealing three rows of razor sharp teeth. Undaunted by the pointy daggers, I punched it right in the nose! The monster's eyes watered in pain and I used its distraction to tie a rope around its snout, binding it closed, and with incredible strength, I picked it up and threw it overboard. When my crew later woke up, they cheered and _ooh_'d and _ahh_'d at my brilliance. And that! That is how the GREAT CAPTAIN USOPP SAVED-"

"Shut _up_, Usopp." His unwilling listeners snapped, their voices harmonizing perfectly.

Usopp smirked, taking in the annoyed expressions on the others' faces.

Point to Usopp.

Long-Nosed Story Teller- 1

Tense, Stuffy, Weird Atmosphere- 0

"So, what'd ya make, Sanji?" Usopp asked the Chef, joining the now relaxed Nami at the table.

Sanji didn't answer, choosing instead to reach for his pack of cigarettes, pull one out and light it up, before inserting it into his mouth and inhaling deeply.

"Food." He finally said, blowing out a stream of white smoke.

Usopp resisted the urge to sigh in relief; if Sanji was smoking again (and being a sarcastic ass), then things seemed to have calmed down for the moment.

He looked over at Nami, grinning at the small – but still there! – smile she sent his way.

Oh yeah, Usopp was _good_.

Not wanting to set the mood back to what it had been, Usopp decided to forego asking about what had been bothering the other two; if it was enough to worry Nami and Sanji like that, then it was probably something really bad, and Usopp had no interest in learning about bad somethings.

Of course, not even the Great Usopp could predict what would happen when a familiar and loud, "FOOD!" was heard from outside the kitchen/dining room.

The tense atmosphere from before rushed in, smothering and nearly suffocating the room's inhabitants, Usopp included.

The long-nosed pirate's entire body seized, convulsions shuddering through him as a steaming, sickening, gruesome, terrifying, horrible _thing_ lodged itself in his stomach, boiling the blood in his body. Sweat poured from every pore, soaking his clothes in the salty liquid and plastering his hair to his forehead.

Then, it just stopped, and Usopp found himself panting as he caught his breath. His hands were holding the table so tightly that when he uncurled them from around the wood, they were stiff.

Slowly, Usopp moved his arm up to push the sticky hair out of his eyes and gazed around the room, taking in the disheveled appearances of the other two occupants.

So, this was what was bothering them.

Yeah, Usopp knew it, he _hadn't_ wanted to know, and now that he did, he was just as concerned, just as _scared,_ as the other two.

What had just happened?

**xXx**

_Oh no, definitely not what he'd expected to feel when he died._

**xXx**

Zoro had a feeling that the island they were exploring was either uninhabited or the people living on it were hiding. Zoro really hoped it was the former.

Before they'd disembarked from the ship, Zoro had noticed that Usopp, Nami and Sanji were all very hesitant to set foot on the island. They all had odd expressions on their faces; Nami looked like she was about to cry (which was really odd since Nami _hated_ crying), Sanji's face was just blank, void of all emotion including the confidence (arrogance) he normally exuded and the cheerful, love-struck look he always had on when he was standing near Nami (who was indeed standing near him- right next to him, no less. Their arms were actually touching, something Sanji would normally flail over), and Usopp looked scared out of his mind.

Of course, the liar always looked like he was about to piss his pants before they went ashore, but this time was different. This time, Usopp didn't look just scared, no, Usopp looked down-right terrified. From the dilated pupils to the heart pumping so fast and hard that Zoro could see the boy's pulse throb in his neck.

Something was definitely going on with them.

However, despite their reservations, Luffy had still managed to convince them to explore the island with him.

So, when he and the rest of the Straw Hat crew, minus a certain straw hat-wearing Captain who had rushed ahead for some personal exploration, stepped onto the slippery sand of the island's beach and Zoro felt an irrational spike of something he didn't want to admit was fear in his gut, he started to get worried.

If even he was starting to feel odd, then something _must_ have been really bad.

And he had a feeling it had to do with his Captain.

White, _hot _**Pain**. Then nothing.

When Zoro came to a few minutes later, he awoke to the choking gasps and pained coughing and broken sobbing of the other crewmates. Usopp was lying beside him, his hands clenched tightly in his curly hair and his chest rising and falling as his body strained for air.

Below him, his head resting by the soles of Zoro's boots, was Sanji. He was sitting up, though hunched over, his body shaking from the force of the rattling coughs. They sounded wet and painful.

Nami was curled up in the fetal position on Zoro's other side. Her body was shuddering with each sob, one of her feet twitching sporadically.

And Zoro…Zoro felt numb. He could feel nothing, and for him, a warrior who relied on his instincts and senses to fight, the numbness was far worse than any choked gasp, rattling cough, or broken sob could ever be.

Gritting his teeth, Zoro forced his body to move, willing it to work even without the feeling. He positioned his arms underneath his body and slowly, so, so, _so _slowly, pushed himself up onto his knees. From there, he used the scabbards of one of his swords to support him as he rose to his feet, his knees shaking.

Even after all the movement, Zoro still could not feel.

Belatedly, Zoro realized that the others had stood with him, each still unable to stop what had taken them down in the first place; Usopp still gasping, Sanji still hacking and Nami still sobbing.

The four Straw Hat pirates moved as one towards the forest their Captain had disappeared into, knowing instinctively where the straw hat-wearing boy was.

Their Captain needed them.

**xXx**

_A series of thoughts and emotions shot through his mind, dancing around his head in a dizzying array; mustsurvive__**determination**__mustkeepgoing__**stubborness**__mustnotgiveup__**frustration**__mustnotfail__**pain**__mustnotlose__**anger**__mustdestroy__**hatred**__mustkill__**bloodlust**__mustmustprotect__**love**__mustsave__**conviction**__mustnotletdown__**refusal**__mustnotdiemustnotdiemustnotdiemustnotdie__**FEAR**_

**xXx**

When the Straw Hat crew arrived at the clearing they knew Luffy was at, they were momentarily shocked into stillness.

There, not three feet in front of them, laid Luffy.

With a big hole in his chest.

A big hole that was gushing out obscene amounts of blood.

Blood that was pouring out too fast for the ground to soak up, so with nowhere else to go, the puddle of red spread out beyond the rubber pirate's body, clawing its way slowly towards the frozen crew.

A raven-haired boy with dull, coal-black eyes and a gaping hole in his body lying spread eagle on a background of ruby.

It made for a very gruesome picture.

The cry of, "Pirate scum!" startled the crew back into awareness, where they finally saw what punched a hole through their Captain.

It was a man. He was large, sweaty, smelly, and wore pointed gauntlets in place of flesh hands.

The gauntlets were the exact same size as the hole in Luffy's chest.

Surrounding the metal-handed man was a large group of men and women with crazed, blood-thirsty eyes staring intently – and with no small amount of hunger – at the blood pooling beneath the rubber Captain's prone figure.

It took one second for everything to click in the Straw Hats' heads.

The next second, the four were off, tearing into their opponents with a terrifying ferocity.

The clearing was painted in red.

**xXx**

_As the pain – dull as it had been – faded to complete and total numbness, and the sound of his beating heart slowed, slowed, s-l-o-w-e-d, stopped, the white haze seemed to pulse, glowing brighter until the only thing he was aware of was the odd feeling of being weightless and…warm…_

…_and all of the thoughts and fears that had been echoing in the back of his mind in a never-ending cycle were silenced. _

_His thoughts were quiet, and without the worries and fears gnawing on his fading soul, he felt an eerie, but not unwelcome, calm settle upon him. He felt content. He felt at ease. He felt…_

…_like his work here was done and he could finally close his eyes and rest in peace. _

_So he did._

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When Luffy came to, the first thing he was aware of was pain. Agonizing, boiling pain that made him arch his back in an attempt to escape it.

A pain-filled gasp that he'd intended to be a scream escaped from his throat, and Luffy soon found himself pinned to whatever he was lying on by several pairs of hands.

One hand – a large one that felt very rough, like it had callouses, and was so-so-_warm_ rested on his forehead, and Luffy used that big, warm, rough hand to help him get passed the terrible pain.

Eventually, Luffy became aware of several voices, all soft, whispering things to him. The voices were familiar, and they calmed Luffy enough for him to open his eyes.

Expecting harsh, bright light and not getting it made Luffy blink in confusion, before he shifted his gaze from the deep gray ceiling to the arm just above his head and to the body connected to the arm and to the head connected to the body.

The head was green.

Or, at least the head had green hair. After staring at the green-haired head for a moment, a name finally came to Luffy.

_Zoro, First Mate and ex-pirate hunter who will be the greatest swordsman in the world.._.

"Zoro!" He yelled, or tried to, anyway. It came out sounding more like a croak than a yell, but at least he could speak, so Luffy wasn't complaining.

'Zoro' smiled and nodded his head, his golden earrings jingling lightly.

A hand on his right arm shifted, bringing it and its owner to Luffy's attention. His eyes followed the appendage up to the body then to the face; a head of bright orange hair framing a feminine face with large, watery brown eyes.

_Nami, Navigator and treasure hunter who will map out the entire ocean…_his head provided.

"Nami." He whispered, not bothering to yell since he knew it wouldn't do him any good.

'Nami' smiled, her bottom lip quivering a little bit as a few tears escaped her big doe-eyes.

The _click_ of a lighter drew Luffy's eyes to a tall, blond man. One of his hands was holding a white stick while the other flicked the lighter and held it up to his cigarette.

_Sanji, Chef and ladies man with a powerful kick who will find All Blue…_

"Sanji." Luffy sighed, watching as the blond man, 'Sanji', inhaled deeply before exhaling a large cloud of white smoke. The Chef looked down at Luffy with hooded eyes and inclined his head, reaching down to ruffle Luffy's hair before pulling back and moving to stand behind Nami.

His eyes never left Luffy's face.

A sniffle brought Luffy's attention to the presence on his left.

A long nose.

_Usopp, Marksman/'fix-it' and story teller who will become a brave warrior of the sea…_

"Usopp." Luffy murmured.

'Usopp' sniffled once more before letting loose a torrent of tears. Snot dribbled out of his long nose, but the Marksman either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Luffy!" Usopp cried, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand before letting his head drop to rest on Luffy's shoulder, "You're okay!"

Usopp's crying made Nami, who had been trying hard not to, start sobbing, her face contorted in a mask of anguish and relief.

"Luffy! Thank God! You're alive!" She gasped, shifting her hand on his arm so she was holding his hand; her grip was tight, too tight, and painful, but Luffy didn't say anything, and let the orange-headed girl hold his hand with force enough to break it had he been a normal human.

Sanji's eyes still hadn't left Luffy's face, and when Luffy looked closer, he realized that the man didn't want to let him out of his sight, fierce determination and protectiveness swirling in the depths.

Zoro's hand was still warm on Luffy's forehead, and, like Sanji, Zoro hadn't stopped watching Luffy's face. His eyes held the same amount of determination and protectiveness as Sanji's, though the emotions in Zoro's eyes were sharper and more defined.

Luffy let his friends stare at him and cry on him for as long as he possibly could, but, even when injured to the point of actually _dying_, Luffy still had the patience and attention span of a three-year old.

So, he began to dream. He dreamt of thick, juicy steaks drowned in Sanji's 'Special Sauce'. He dreamt of fresh, tender fish grilled to perfection. He dreamt of hot, roasted bird. He dreamt of-

Hey. Why did he have to _dream_ about these things? He had a perfectly good Chef that could _make_ them.

"Hey, Sanji?" He asked, drawing everyone's attention (the attention where they were actually listening to him, not crying on him, squeezing the life out of his hand, or staring creepily at him), "I want food."

In a small village miles away from another small, pirate hating, village, relieved laughter could be heard echoing cheerfully through the streets.

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So...what'd you think? This was actually based off a dream I had, kind of, except the dream was a hell of a lot longer. Oh, and some of the things in here are wrong, which I did on purpose. I was taking liberties. Um, no I'm not gonna tell you how Luffy survived a hole in the chest, I mean, I'm pretty sure the kid would be able to, don't you think? He's just that awesome.

**Reviews are always appreciated**, I accept any kind, just be nice if you're gonna flame, please!

Oh, and Word's fuckin' retarded. According to Dictionary(dot)com 'callouses' is a word. Word, however, says it's not. I'm like, wtf, yo?

Title translates to **Believe**, I think, in Latin.


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